


Even Gods Love Frogs

by ChocolateGate (cocosmama)



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor - Fandom
Genre: Animals, Cats, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Might be part of a series, Pets, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 14:32:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16431236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cocosmama/pseuds/ChocolateGate
Summary: Thor learns the importance of pets and discovers the cutest creatures known to man.





	Even Gods Love Frogs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PinkPandorafrog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkPandorafrog/gifts).



> This is just a little thing I threw together with my friend Pink in mind. By far the cleanest thing I've ever written. 
> 
> A huge thank you to Dresupi for helping me when I was stuck and beta reading most of it!

“Wasn't Morris the cutest?” Darcy asked Thor as he flipped through a photo album of her childhood.

“He was indeed,” Thor answered. The photographs of a younger Darcy amused him. Her gap-toothed grin had stayed much the same, though her spectacles were far smaller and more flattering now. The orange feline in that particular picture hung in her arms as if he couldn't support his own body. “Was he a youngling?”

Darcy shook her head. “He was already fully grown by the time I was born. He's about nine in that picture.” 

Thor frowned. That couldn't be true. Earth's beasts were indeed smaller than those on other planets, but according to a television program she'd shown him, some of the world's most deadly creatures were felines. The one she was holding was no larger than his forearm.

Darcy trailed her fingertip gently over the picture. “He was my best buddy. I miss having a cat.” 

The sadness in her voice caught Thor off guard. He didn't understand much about the whims of Midgardians, but Darcy’s sadness hit him particularly hard. She was a brave warrior, much like himself. Sadness didn’t become her.  

“Can you not acquire another?” 

She sighed and shut the photo book before hauling herself up off the couch to return it to its place on her overcrowded bookshelf. “My landlord doesn't allow pets.” 

“Surely such a tiny creature would not be a nuisance.” 

She huffed a laugh. “You'd think that, but cats can be kind of destructive. A lot of places around here don't allow pets of any kind, or if they do you have to pay a hefty deposit. Maybe someday, though,” she said with a tight smile that barely even lifted her cheeks. 

She disappeared into the kitchen and left Thor sitting on the couch, stewing in his thoughts. There had to be some way for Darcy to have a cat. He would have to ask one of his other companions for advice.

* * *

On a rare Saturday afternoon that it wasn’t raining, Thor and Darcy walked to a nearby pet store. Thor had stopped by previously and learned it hosted local animal rescues almost every weekend and donated a portion of their proceeds for pet supplies back to those same rescues. The public was welcome, whether they wanted to adopt or simply spend some time playing with the animals.

As soon as the cat area came into view, Darcy squealed and Thor allowed her to pull him by the hand to the edge of the pen. 

One of the volunteers, a kind-faced woman with graying hair got up to greet them.“Hi there, are you here to adopt or to play?” 

“Just to play this time,” Darcy answered, the barest hint of that earlier sadness in her voice. 

The woman let them into the pen, closing it behind them to keep all the wandering kittens in. 

Darcy immediately dropped to her knees with the widest smile Thor had ever seen on her face. His heart swelled knowing he'd helped put it there. 

He squatted down as well and observed a few of the cats before settling his attention on a sleek black one hiding beneath the table with the adoption paperwork. He scooted close enough to reach the cat, then waited patiently until it grew curious and took a few steps toward his outstretched hand. It glared up at him through piercing green eyes. 

“Your coloring reminds me of my brother,” Thor said as the cat sniffed at his fingers. It turned away with a dismissive sneeze and he chuckled. “As does your countenance.” 

He left the cat in peace and turned to where he'd left Darcy. 

She was still on the ground in the middle of the pen, but now she had three kittens hanging from her sweater by their claws and two more in her arms. When he caught her eye she grinned and said, “This is literally the best day of my life.” 

He crawled over and gave the biggest one, a handsome gray and white fellow, a scratch between the ears. It looked up and bit down on his fingertip with its sharp incisors. He let it chew fruitlessly on his finger for a minute, then pulled the digit free and said, “You have a warrior's spirit.” 

“That one is pretty feisty,” Darcy agreed.

Thor brought the kitten close to his face and murmured, “May you be as mighty as Freyja's cats of old. I wish you a long and prosperous life, little one,” before setting the kitten back on the newspaper covered floor.

Several loud barks echoed through the store, startling some of the cats.

“I didn't know they had dogs,” Darcy said, comforting one of the frightened kittens in her arms. 

Thor rose to his feet. “I should like to see these dogs.”

“Sure, dude. Go play with all the slobber-mouths. Just come back and get me when you're ready to go.”

She seemed content on her own, so he set off to explore. His first stop was the dog area. Most were significantly larger and more hearty than the cats had been, though several of the smallest appeared to be more cat than dog. One large golden dog reminded him of Captain Rogers if he were a dog. 

He didn't linger there long, despite the warm feelings he got when the dogs licked his hands. The store housed a wide variety of animals, and he wanted to see all that he could of Midgard's “pets” while he could. 

He passed some small hairy creatures, some tiny with long tails, others larger with no tails at all. Their information tags informed him they were mice, hamsters, and guinea pigs. There was also an enclosure with three long, sleek animals called ferrets. They looked like something Loki might like. 

Toward the back of the store, away from the warm wriggling mammals, he finally found what he was looking for: a large wall of glass tanks cleverly camouflaged with leaves and logs to resemble a forest environment. 

He peered inside one of them, grinning as wide as Darcy had when he spotted a snake coiled comfortably beneath a heat lamp. He hadn't seen one in centuries. As a boy, he'd spent vast amounts of time exploring the rougher terrain of Asgard, often with a cold-blooded companion or two, but once he matured and took on more responsibility for the realm, he had less time for such activities. 

He hadn't been aware that Midgard was home to such creatures. Granted, this one was far smaller than any he'd come across before, but that made it even better. It could fit in his pocket. He'd be quite happy with a pocket snake.

He took his time and searched each of the rest of the containers with his eyes until he located their inhabitants. As with the cats, the creatures were smaller than he was used to, but he wasn't shocked until he came to the end of the aisle, where he found a species he'd never encountered before. 

Unlike snakes, these creatures had four legs and short, round bodies. Their thin, wide-set mouths and large eyes gave them a friendly quality, and he squatted down to read the information posted beside each tank. 

Frogs, they were called. 

A vibrant green one with a thin white stripe down its side clung to the glass wall of the tank with its translucent toe pads and scooted away when he pressed a finger to the glass near its body. It was alone in its tank.

The next tank held five frogs, each no larger than the tip of his little finger and brilliant yellow with black stripes. The information sheet boasted of their poisonous skin and Thor grinned. It seemed even the smallest of Midgard's creatures were well equipped to take care of themselves. 

That was one thing he admired most about the planet. Everything on it had such a short life span, but they all had one brilliant quality other planets could benefit from–they adapted to survive.

Thor crouched down and watched the little frogs in silent amusement until a tiny hand patted his elbow. 

“Do you like frogs?” A tiny brunette, not dissimilar to Darcy, said. 

“Aye, I’ve only just discovered them,” Thor replied. 

“That’s neat. They used to be my favorites. Now I like ants.” 

Thor hummed. There had been an ant featured on the most dangerous creatures show, so he could understand why the girl liked them. 

“I have a pet one, but he’s not like other ants. He’s bigger than me.” 

Thor didn’t know what to make of the statement. On the show, the ants had been quite tiny. Perhaps San Francisco was home to a giant species. It must be a fairly safe variety if the child was able to keep one as a pet. 

“Have you seen these before?” He pointed to the tank of tiny yellow ones. 

She leaned in to see and her face lit up. 

As she cooed over the adorable little creatures, Thor found himself wanting to introduce pets to his people. The life spans of Midgard's creatures was far too short, but perhaps Heimdall knew of a planet with creatures tame enough to be companions.

“Cassie,” a man’s voice called from nearby. 

Thor rose to his feet just before the owner of the voice rounded the end of the aisle.

The man paused and several unreadable expressions flashed over his face before he settled on a pinched version of a smile. “Oh, hey there Peanut. What are you doing over here?” 

The girl finally looked away from the tank and darted over to the man. “Daddy, you have to see these new frogs they got. This guy showed them to me,” she said as she dragged him by the hand to her previous spot. 

Thor smiled. She reminded him of Darcy. 

He noted how the man indulged the girl and chatted with her about the frogs, all while carefully positioning himself between Thor and his daughter. Thor took no offense to the protective gesture. He was far larger than most Midgardians and he was an imposing figure. 

When it looked like the girl was going to spend a considerable amount of time looking at the frogs, Thor decided it was time to find Darcy. 

As he walked away, the man followed him and once they were out of earshot from the girl, he said, “You look familiar. Ever spend any time in San Quentin?” 

Thor shook his head. “I have not. I did spend several days in Puente Antiguo, however.” 

The man’s face scrunched up the way Darcy’s did when she was thinking and Thor smiled. He saw a lot of her mannerisms in this little family.  

“I must go and find the friend I came with. Enjoy your day with your wonderful daughter. I believe she will grow into a fine warrior one day.” 

His face scrunched even farther, if that was possible, and after Thor turned away, he heard the man say, “Thanks, man.” 

Thor found Darcy right where he’d left her, though most of the cats around her were napping instead of using her body as a mountain for climbing. 

She noticed him right away and gave him a wide, lazy smile. “You ready?” 

“Only if you are satisfied.” 

She removed the sleepy kittens from her person one at a time, kissing each on the nose before setting them back on the ground and spoke briefly with the woman at the desk before joining Thor outside the pen. 

She hooked her arm through his offered elbow and leaned against his arm, resting her head against the pillow of his muscles.

As they walked back to Darcy’s tiny apartment, thunder rumbled through the sky above them. 

Darcy glanced up at him. “Is that you?” 

“No,” he replied with a soft smile. While the storms he created were indeed magnificent, he truly enjoyed Midgard’s natural weather patterns. The natural static in the air filled him with a buzzing energy that he couldn't manufacture on his own. 

They were only a block from home when the skies opened up, and instead of making a run for it, Darcy paused. She tucked her glasses on the neck of her shirt and folded her jacket over them, then tilted her head up, giggling as the moisture collected on her cheeks and in her hair. 

Laughter rumbled through Thor's chest and he joined her, embracing the feel of the icy droplets as they splashed against his skin. 

Someday he'd find a way to get Darcy her cat, but for now this was enough.


End file.
